“Goodness! A friend for the young master!”
Jake squealed with delighted laughter.
“It’s not like that.”
Feeling an inexplicable embarrassment, I snatched away the letter she’d been reading.
“Why, the letter was just interesting!”
She pounced beside me, saying let’s look together. The Young Lady Lifros is certainly eloquent even in letters.
“And that handsome Sir Lifros being a pigeon, oh what shall I do.”
I read the letter while hearing Jake’s words with half an ear.
The Young Lady Lifros would write about her and her brother’s recent news and interesting gossip she’d heard recently, and today’s gossip was funny too. It was news that the Pope, over eighty years old, had awakened abilities as a mage.
Reality truly is stranger than fiction. Even the open-air theater famous for staging all kinds of sensational plays had probably never performed such a comedy.
“But what does this mean? Silver-gray satin dress…? Going on summer vacation together…?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Come on, it’s not nothing! You really aren’t friends!”
Jake huffed and snatched the letter away.
“Is this woman an Alpha? I’m telling the Count right away!”
No matter how much I pleaded, I knew she’d report everything to Mikhail anyway, so I just left Jake alone. She seemed more shocked by that—I’m going? I’m really going?—and sulked for two whole days pretending not to see me.
And Mikhail, who must have heard everything, surprisingly said nothing.
“Isn’t it better than when you do nothing at all? You can do whatever you want, but instead, going on summer vacation together is not permitted! We have somewhere else to go.”
That was all he said.
And then—
“Th-this—”
Baron Moss, who had been waiting gloomily in front of the young ladies’ exclusive lounge, couldn’t continue his words upon seeing me.
A passing court attendant looked back and forth between Baron Moss and me.
The same fabric to anyone’s eyes. Similar design I’d found out by paying extra at the dressmaker’s. If Baron Moss and I stood close together, anyone would notice.
Baron Moss and I were wearing the same clothes.
So. How about it?
Baron Moss trembled as if seeing something horrifying.
When he saw me surprised wearing the same clothes as him before, his reaction wasn’t like that.
“Damn it!”
The Baron roughly took off his doublet. He threw it away and ran off as if he didn’t want to be associated even for a moment.
“……”
Cold sweat ran down my back left alone.
If he had rushed at me in anger, I’d been inwardly prepared to at least throw him down.
I had directly faced my past fear,
And Baron Moss was less than I’d thought.
“Is it over?”
The door opened and the Young Lady Lifros came out wearing a silver-gray dress. The clothes on the floor, the clothes I wore. The fabric of the clothes she wore were all identical. Worried it might harm Miss Lucia even a little, I also quickly took off my doublet.
“This fabric is expensive.”
Young Lady Lucia said worriedly.
“Hyung is rich, so it’s fine.”
Soon after, Sir Lifros, who had been hiding, also came out.
He took the doublet from my hand. Since I’d sized it a bit large, it fit Sir Lifros well too. Fortunately, even though I’d worn it once, he wasn’t particularly displeased and agreed to accept it as a gift.
“In any case, it’s true. Baron Moss to Lucia—”
Sir Lifros’s eyes in the silver-gray clothes furrowed.
How to deal with a trap is.
First, fall into it as is. Second, avoid and go around it.
Third, there’s also a way to eliminate the trap entirely. I intended to expose Baron Moss’s crimes and have him imprisoned.
## 5. Summer Rondo (1)
If you were an Imperial noble, you owned at least one summer villa on the outskirts of the archipelago.
“Do you know what this is! It’s an invitation from House Marquis Nord!”
However, it seems House Meyer’s Lake Tien villa will remain empty this year.
Mikhail had obtained an invitation to the summer salon of the current Marchioness Nord, the former Princess Regemeritte.
“I specially asked Her Highness the Princess for you two! It turned out that an acquaintance of Her Highness Regemeritte was someone we know, so it was easy to contact them. Do you remember, Joachim?”
Mikhail, who had been boasting, mentioned the name of the lady who had led my education after age 11.
“I suppose.”
“You’re so ungrateful.”
It was just before summer ripened. Wealthy nobles left one by one for vacation on the outskirts of the archipelago, escaping the heat and buildings.
Nobles stayed in their own small, cool summer villas, holding salons during the day in interiors cooled by expensive magic stones, and at night enjoying open-air theater in botanical gardens decorated with summer trees, flowers, and magical lighting.
The more invited to such gatherings, the more popular one was considered, and everyone wanted invitations from people with solid positions in society.
“It’ll be quite fun. When I asked, a theater troupe is coming on the first day. What was it, Her Highness the Princess’s favorite troupe.”
“Ah, I know! Are you talking about the ‘Cork Theater Troupe’?”
“Right, it was that alcohol-smelling name.”
Mikhail and Rilke excitedly exchanged conversation.
“Besides, when Her Highness the Princess graciously gave an invitation, can we just sit still? I’ve also asked Sir Rood and his disciples. Her Highness the Princess was very pleased too! Hosted by royalty, a talented theater troupe, even the owner of the laurel crown who’s no different from the greatest artist of this era!”
I remember spending this time alone in the past. Hyung wasn’t there and Rilke wasn’t at the estate either.
More than half the estate’s servants had been on vacation too. I remember wandering the quiet estate alone, sitting vacantly in the annex bedroom, and just watching the lush summer foliage outside the window.
“It will be perfect beyond comparison to any summer salon!”
Suddenly hearing such talk, my heart seemed to beat a little faster.
“This is a problem, I’ve already accepted somewhere else.”
Meanwhile, Rilke was talking about having received too many invitations.
“You’ll be busy replying, Rilke-ya. But you’ll agree that you too must head to House Marquis Nord this summer?”
“Of course. Then will hyung-nim be going together too?”
“No. I can’t go.”
Mikhail went south just like before.
The difference was that he was going to establish a foundation for the transport business, not the mining business. Mikhail boldly poured massive funds for the family’s prosperity, and his business acumen was so exceptional that he often saw results.
But he should give up his attachment to the Ancient Island now—
“Young master, see you in a fortnight! Have fun!”
Jake’s face, arm in arm with Mikhail and waving her hand, looked so cheerful I couldn’t say it.
For the past few days, she’d been unable to hide her excited mood, pestering me to choose dresses, hats, and fans. Since there was no way Mikhail could be separated from Jake for several days, her southern trip had been decided from the start.
The day after seeing off Mikhail and Jake, Rilke and I also boarded the carriage.
“What is…… this?”
“Use them.”
Rilke held out letter paper, a quill pen, and some invitation.
“In the first letter, write that you’ll go to the place written on the invitation. The recipient is Mikhail. In the second letter, write that you’ll decline the invitation. The recipient is Marchioness Nord.”
He spoke stiffly as if forcibly reading a children’s book.
His slender hand reached toward me. When I didn’t move, he placed the letter paper and invitation directly on my lap.
“Write yourself that you’ll spend summer vacation elsewhere. When you return, lie directly to hyung-nim that you had a good time. Think up the contents of the lie yourself too.”
I swatted away the hand trying to give me the quill. Looking down at the fallen quill, Rilke reluctantly bent at the waist and picked it up again.
I stood up from my seat, ignoring the quill being held out again. The carriage happened to be stopped, and I no longer wanted to be in the same space as Rilke.
“—Please get in.”
When I opened the door, knights blocked the entrance and said.
I’d definitely thought they were knights sent from House Marquis Nord, but—
“The clothes are from the marquis house, but they’re Imperial knights.”
Rilke’s voice came from behind.
“When the Imperial household, her family home, says they’ll help welcome guests, would Her Highness the Princess, who always misses that glamorous life, refuse?”
The knights weren’t looking at me.
Beyond them standing like walls, a narrow, long alley was visible. Before I knew it, the carriage had stopped on a deserted, remote road.
“And if you don’t go, someone else will go instead.”
I turned back, frozen.
“Someone else?”
“I mean Miss Lucia.”
He mentioned the Young Lady Lifros familiarly as if he’d been given permission to use her name.
It’s my fault. I should have expected it from the moment a week ago when he mentioned knowing something about Miss Lucia.
Rilke smiled while fiddling with the quill.
“Do you really like that woman? An Omega and an Omega. How utterly disgusting.”
“……”
“If Miss Lucia knew your feelings, she’d try to vomit too. And that woman is going along gleefully thinking she’s invited to a prestigious music concert—”
Rilke spun the quill around.
“—It’ll be quite boring if you don’t go.”
The crumpled tip of the quill drew a messy circle.
The letters I’d received from Lucia came to mind. She’d been invited to a summer music concert. She was happy her violin skills seemed recognized. Sentences with such content.
Rilke explained it had been difficult to get the Young Lady Lifros to receive an invitation. He blinked innocently, saying he’d sent Imperial knights to her too.
“If you so dislike going, I’ll have no choice but to send at least Miss Lucia instead.”
“Where to?”
“You’re guessing, aren’t you? Now, try to guess. Who do you think lives where, who would ask me to do such things while even attaching Imperial knights?”
Rilke curled up his lips.
“Don’t worry. Even if you lie, won’t a fortnight be enough time that hyung-nim Mikhail won’t notice?”
From the sickeningly bright smile, I knew he was genuinely enjoying this.
In the past, and now too—
“Why are you doing this?”
I couldn’t help but ask him smiling so brightly like that.
The letter paper in my hand crumpled.
“Because His Grace the Regent designated you. I don’t know why you caught his eye either, but it’s quite fortunate.”
If I return, I won’t let you be anymore.
“Originally he wanted me. It was quite troublesome.”
“You’re brazenly saying you offered me as a sacrifice instead of you.”
I unfolded the crumpled letter paper. I also gripped the crumpled quill. Just as he said, I unhesitatingly wrote two letters. Rilke frowned a bit at the crumpled surface of the letters he received, then tried to smooth them flat.
“Tell me. What happens to Miss Lucia now?”
My questioning lips trembled. She was already living a life different from the past, and I couldn’t let her suffer more because of me.
“Thanks to you, she’ll have the summer she imagined.”
Rilke checked the letter contents once more carefully and held out a black pill to me.
“Swallow it.”
It was a pill I knew.
I hesitated only briefly.
For the first time since returning to the past, I accepted and swallowed what Rilke gave me. As my vision darkened, I could see Rilke’s smiling face.
